Chapter 84: Unrivaled!

At the summit of the sky, dark clouds gathered thickly, thunder weaving through them.

"That boy again?" A cold, disdainful snort echoed from within the thunderclouds.

"It's him, without a doubt," came a second voice, resolute and certain.

"Shall we strike?" asked a third, teasing, as if anticipating something.

"Strike him hard!" The final voice boomed like a command, brimming with boundless power and fury.

The thunderclouds swiftly merged, forming an even more colossal mass of blackness. Within the rolling, churning clouds, powerful purple lightning coiled like serpents, illuminating the entire heavens.

Rumbles of thunder rolled across the sky.

A streak of purple lightning, as if guided by some will, pierced through the clouds, speeding straight for Jiang Yan.

In that instant, the meteor hammer arcing through midair was caught by the bolt of lightning. The weapon, like a falling star, drew the thunder’s might with it, tearing through the sky to crash down upon the forehead of Hu Sanniang.

She could not evade, completely defenseless, and was struck head-on. A piercing, agonized scream tore from her throat. "Ah!"

A sickening spray erupted as black blood and brain matter rained down like a torrential storm of darkness.

"Ugh..."

"My head is covered in this disgusting stuff."

"It reeks—it's foul..."

"Is Hu Sanniang finally dead?"

"Her brains are splattered, what do you think?"

"Move, quick! She's collapsing this way!"

Her massive body, like a mountain, crashed to the ground. The demons on the street scattered in panic, fleeing in all directions.

A deafening barrage of crashes followed, thundering like a battery of cannons. Several buildings, unable to withstand her weight, crumbled into ruins beneath her falling body.

The meteor hammer, now drenched in black blood, seemed to awaken beneath the baptism of purple lightning. It quivered lightly, as if shaking off dust, and the dark blood was flung away.

A sizzling sound filled the air.

To everyone’s astonishment, the meteor hammer began to emit purple lightning of its own accord!

The little dragon, carrying Bai Tao, sped toward the weapon, asking curiously, "Bai Tao, has your hammer gained a spirit? Could it always control thunder like this?"

Bai Tao was equally amazed. "I've never seen it do this before."

He fixed his gaze on the hammer hovering in midair. "Do you still remember who your master is?"

As if it understood, the meteor hammer ceased releasing lightning and flew toward Bai Tao, stopping before him and turning its handle to face him.

Bai Tao gripped the handle, his face alight with joy. Clearly, the hammer now acknowledged him as its master.

"Bai Tao, your luck defies the heavens! Now you’ve even gained the power of thunder, indirectly at least," the little dragon exclaimed, convinced now that Bai Tao’s fortune was extraordinary. With a dragon as his mount and what once appeared a mere hammer revealed as a spirited, peerless weapon—what luck!

Yet the little dragon did not know that the meteor hammer had never been an ordinary item.

Jiang Yan, seeing Hu Sanniang finally dead, let out a long sigh of relief. He prayed there would be no more Hu Sanniangs, no number three or Nth iteration...

He had noticed the hammer's transformation, and felt glad for Bai Tao—this tribulation had certainly served a purpose.

Meanwhile, the thunderclouds above seemed stunned, having watched their own bolt diverted by a mere hammer.

Noting that two bolts remained, Jiang Yan called up to the clouds, "Go on! Make them stronger!"

Fan Jingwen and the others, witnessing this, agreed in their hearts: Jiang Yan was the first who did not fear the heavenly tribulation. A model for them all! Unmatched!

Awakened by Jiang Yan’s shout, the thunderclouds unleashed the last two strikes with increased force.

Like furious dragons, the twin bolts crashed down upon Jiang Yan.

His robes were left in tatters, his hair scorched upright like silver needles stabbing the sky. All eyes—human and demon alike—fixed upon the flickering golden skeleton, their gazes filled with disbelief.

"One, two, three..." Wang Xingzhi counted the bones aloud, blurting in shock, "There are actually two hundred and six bones!"

The other disciples began to murmur, exchanging looks of astonishment.

"Do I have two hundred and six too?"

"We're all human, aren't we?"

"Oh..."

Bai Tao looked anxiously toward Jiang Yan. "He must survive this! Just two more bolts to endure!"

The little dragon munched on a few blue power fruits and, with its mouth full, mumbled, "Jiang Yan’s life is hard to snuff out. Don’t worry, he’ll make it."

But Jiang Yan felt as though a thousand sharp spikes were piercing him from every direction, pain nearly tearing his soul apart.

He clamped his jaws shut, thin wisps of white vapor escaping from his tightly pressed lips, dissipating into the air.

These last two bolts were even mightier than the previous sixteen combined; it was as if they would not rest until he was dead.

He felt himself nearing his limit, agony wracking his entire being...

The flight talisman on his Flaming Sword had been shattered by the wild thunder, and he now floated in the air through sheer willpower, clinging to the last dregs of spiritual energy within him.

If only he’d landed before calling out to the thunderclouds...

Jiang Yan’s body finally reached its limit; darkness closed in around him and, like a kite with a severed string, he plummeted swiftly toward the earth.

Fan Jingwen and the others, seeing his predicament, hurriedly soared on their swords, hoping to catch him before he hit the ground.

The little dragon darted toward him as well.

But the distance was too great, and Jiang Yan fell too fast—there was no way they could make it in time.

"Master, Master!" Xiaoxue cried out in his spiritual sea, desperately attempting to rouse him.

But Jiang Yan seemed to have sunk into a deep coma; no matter how she called, he did not awaken.